Pocket ash tray



March 12, 1957 E. B. ROYLE POCKET ASH TRAY Filed Feb. 16, 1953 Fl s 4- INVENTOIL EDWIN B. ROYLE ATTQRNEYS' United States latent" POCKET ASH TRAY Edwin B. Royle, Saratoga, Calif.

Application February 16, 1953, Serial No. 337,077

Glaims. (Cl. 131 241) The present invention relates to an ash tray and pertains more particularly to an ash tray which may be carried in the pocket and used either in the pocket or on any suitable supporting surface.

A smoker frequently finds himself in a house or oifice with a desire to smoke, or with a lighted cigarette in his hand, and no convenient place either to dispose of the ashes from the cigarette, or of the cigarette itself when he has finished smoking it. In the past some attempts have been made to devise pocket ash trays, but most such devices are either bulky or are otherwise not entirely suited for the intended purpose.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an improved pocket ash tray. The invention also provides an ash tray which can be carried in the pocket and used therein, and which has a neat and attractive appearance. It is also an object of the invention to provide an ash tray which can be carried in the pocket and opened and used as an ash or cigarette receptacle while still secured in position in the pocket, or which can be removed from the pocket and used when supported on a substantially horizontal surface such as a desk or table. The invention also provides a pocket ash tray having a pocket clip and a support for a burning cigarette.

A further object of the invention is to make :a pocket ash tray having a receptacle portion capable of receiving a number of discarded cigarette butts therein, the device also having a closure cap and being provided with cigarette' snufiing means.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pocket ash tray embodying the invention as it appears inserted in. a garment pocket ready for use, the cap thereof being open ready for use, a portion of the pocket being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the pocket ash tray shown in Fig. l, the cap thereof being closed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the pocket ash tray shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 ready for use on a supporting horizontal surface, a burning cigarette being shown in broken lines supported on the pocket clip, which also serves as a cigarette holder when the device is in this position, a second cigarette being shown in position for snufiing.

Fig. 5 is a left end elevational view of the ash tray shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 4, the cigarette shown in the cap of Fig. 4 being omitted.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a pocket ash tray A is shown, having an elongated box-like body portion or receptacle 20 which may be of sheet metal or other suitable material. The internal thickness of the illustrated body portion 20 preferably is slightly greater than the diameter of a cigarette butt 21 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5,

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and its internal width is such as to receive freely three of the cigarette butts 21 in side by side relation therein. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the lower end 22 of the body portion 20 is closed, while its upper end 23 is open. The upper edge 24 of the receptacle 2t) surrounding the open upper end 23 slopes downwardly and forwardly at. an acute angle to the rear wall 25 of the receptacle.

A suitable length for the receptacle 20 is slightly over four inches. When of this length, it will hold three average length cigarette butts 21 in end-to-end relation therein, and the overall length of the entire ash tray A with the cap 28 closed as shown in Fig. 2 will correspond approximately to that of many fountain pens and automatic pencils. The device thus may be carried clipped into a garment pocket alongside a fountain pen or automatic pencil and will fit in with these latter items as a harmonious unit of the group. The term garment pocket as used herein refers principally to the breast pocket 26 of a mans coat or shirt, although obviously the device may be used in other pockets of appropriate size.

For hingedly connecting the cap 28 to the body 20, the upper edge of the rear wall 25 of the receptacle 20 may have two curled tabs. 29 formed thereon in a well known manner. Two similar tabs 2% may also be formed onthe lower edge of the cap 28 for interposing between the tabs 29. A hinge pin 2% is inserted in the migned curled tabs 29 and 29a.

A combined pocket clip and cigarette support 36 consists of an upper plate portion 31 with a concave edge 31a disposed between the upper ends of a pair of downwardly extending clip arms 32 formed integrally with the plate portion 31. The clip arms 32 are bent at 32a and 32b to dispose the intermediate portions 320 of these arms in outwardly spaced relation to the front wall 27 of the receptacle 20.

The lower end portions 33 of the clip arms 32 are bent outwardly to act as cams for carnming the clip arms over the upper edge of a pocket 26 when the device is inserted therein. The outwardly bent portions 33 are connected by an inwardly bowed cross bar 34, formed integrally therewith to connect the lower ends of the arms 32 and thus insure that one is not outside the pocket and the other inside when clipping the device to the pocket, and also to provide a support for a portion of a burning cigarette 35 when the device is positioned as shown in Fig. 4.

The cap 28 is of tapered cup shape and may be of sheet metal or other suitable material to match the body 2t). The open end of the cap 28 conforms to the open end of the body portion 20 and is provided with a lip 28a along its forward edge and both sides to overlap the upper edge 24 of the receptacle 20 when the cap is closed. Small embossments 36 are formed in the receptacle 20 near its upper edge, and matching embossments 36a are formed in the overlapping lip 28a of the cap 28. When the cap is closed the embossments 36 fit into the recessed. inner sides of the embossments 36a to retain the cap in closed condition. The front wall 39 of the cap 28 preferably is formed to align with the front wall 27 of the receptacle 20 when the cap is closed as shown in Fig. 3. The top surface 49 of the cap 28 is flat, and slopes downwardly and forwardly when the cap is closed as shown in Fig. 3.

The purpose of forming the cap with this sloping top surface is to bring the hinge pin 2% over this cap surface 40 when the device A is resting on this cap surface 46 and the lower rear edge Zllb when the device A is supported on a surface 42 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Thus, the weight of the body Zll, or even an additional weight such as that of ones hand resting on the body 25 would not tend to collapse the cap toward its closed position.

Patented Mar.- 12, 1.957

- 3 The rear wall 41 of the cap 28 preferably is sloped upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, toward the front wall 39 of the cap 28. This tapering of the cap as shown in Fig. 4, permits forming the interior corners 43 of the cap 28 at each end thereof to fit the lighted end of a cigarette 44 as seen in Fig. 4, for snufiing the same.

After a cigarette has been partially smoked, its lighted tip will burn to a generally characteristic shape in the form of a rounded cone. The internal corners 43 of the cap 28 preferably are shaped to conform substantially to that lighted tip as shown in Fig. 4. With such a snuffing cavity, it is not necessary to crush the lighted end of the cigarette to extinguish it, since the walls of the corner cavity into which the cigarette is inserted for snuffing contacts most of the exposed burning area of the lighted tip. The direct conduction of heat from the burning tobacco to the cap material quickly reduces the temperature of the burning tip to below the temperature of combustion and thus extinguishes the cigarette almost instantly.

For mounting the device on a fiat, horizontal supporting surface, such as the surface 42 the cap 28 is swung to an open position as seen in Figs. 4-6. With the device A in such a position, it may be used either to support a burning cigarette 35 as shown in Fig. 4, to snuff a cigarette 44- as shown in Fig. 4, or to receive ashes or discarded cigarette butts as shown in Fig. 5.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood, however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pocket ash tray which comprises an elongated ash and butt receptacle having front and back walls, open at one end and closed at the other, a cup-shaped cap hingedly connected to the back wall of the receptacle at its open end, a cigarette support on the front wall of the receptacle adjacent its open end having longitudinally extending side support portions adapted to cradle a cigarette thereon with a lighted end of the cigarette extending endwise beyond the open end of the receptacle, the top wall of the cap being fiat and so located as to intersect within its boundaries a line perpendicular thereto through the hinge axis, the cap being swingable to open condition with the cap top wall and the junction of the back wall and closed end of the receptacle in a common plane for resting on a horizontal planar supporting surface, in which condition the open end of the cap underlies the extending end of a cigarette cradled in the support and extending beyond the open end of the receptacle.

2. A pocket ash tray which comprises an elongated ash and butt receptacle having front and back walls open at one end and closed at the other, a cup-shaped closure cap hingedly connected to the back wall of the receptacle at its open end, a cigarette support on the front wall of the receptacle adjacent its open end and having longitudinally extending side support portions spaced apart a distance to cradle a cigarette therebetween with a lighted end of the cigarette extending endwise beyond the open end of the receptacle, the top wall of the cap being fiat and inclined to slope from the back toward the front of the cap, whereby a line perpendicular to the plane of the cap top Wall through the hinge axis intersects said plane within the boundariesof the top wall the cap being swingable to open condition with the cap top wall and the junction of the back wall and closed end of the receptacle in a common plane for resting on a horizontal planar supporting surface, in which condition the open end of the cap underlies the extending end ofa cigarette cradled in the sup port and extending beyond the open end of the receptacle.

3. A pocket ash tray which comprises an elongated ash and butt receptacle having front and back walls open at one end and closed at the other, a cup-shaped closure cap hingedly connected to the back wall of the receptacle at its open end, a pocket clip mounted on the front wall of the receptacle adjacent its open end, said clip being wider than a cigarette and having a raised portion spaced from the receptacle wall to provide clearance to receive sheet material such as the upper marginal portion of a garment pocket between the clip and the receptacle, the raised portion of the clip having a slot disposed longitudinally of the receptacle to receive a portion of a cigarette positioned in the slot, the top wall of the cap being fiat and inclined to slope from the back toward the front of the cap at an angle to bring the hinge axis perpendicularly over said top wall, the cap being swingable to bringthe cap top wall and the junction of the back wall and closed end of the receptacle into a common plane for resting on a horizontal planar supporting surface, in which condition the open end of the cap underlies the extending end of a cigarette cradled in the slot in the clip and extending beyond the open end of the receptacle.

4. A pocket ash tray which comprises an elongated ash and butt receptacle having front and back walls open at one end and closed at the other, a cup-shaped closure cap hingedly connected to the back wall of the receptacle at its open end, a pocket clip mounted on the front wall of the receptacle adjacent its open end, said clip being wider than a cigarette and having a raised portion spaced from,

the receptacle wall to provide clearance to receive sheet material such as the upper marginal portion of a garment pocket between the clip and the receptacle, the raised portion of the clip having a slot disposed longitudinally of the receptacle to receive a portion of a cigarette positioned in the slot, the top wall of the cap being flat and inclined to slope from the back toward the front of the cap at an angle to bring the hinge axis perpendicularly over said top wall, the open ends of the cap and receptacle being sloped along planes which, when the cap is closed, are substantially parallel to the plane defined by the fiat cap top wall, the cap being swingable to bring the cap top wall and the junction of the back wall and closed end of the receptacle into a common plane for resting on a horizontal planar supporting surface, in which condition the open end of the cap and the open end of the receptacle underlie the extending end of a cigarette cradled in the slot in the clip and extending beyond the open end of the receptacle.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the back wall of the cap and that of the receptacle are substantially aligned when the cap is closed and the cap is swingable from closed to open condition, in the latter condition the open ends of the receptacle and cap being in juxtaposed, upwardly open condition, and the upper front edges of both cap and receptacle are lower than the rear edges thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 155,876 Davis Nov. 8, 1949 1,718,400 Baarsgard June 25, 1929 1,790,498 Dewey Jan. 27, 1931' 1,902,028 Heywood Mar. 21, 1933 2,203,960 Hickman June 11, 1940 2,233,324 Palmer Feb. 25, 1941 2,504,597 Sewald Apr. 18, 1950 2,633,136 Nesvig Mar. 31,1953

FOREIGN PATENTS 342,910 Great Britain Feb. 12, 1931 

